Chapter Twelve: Mastery of Fireball Technique

Speaking with such confidence was not something Yang Xuan did lightly; he was compelled by necessity. There were less than two years before the arrival of the players—a prospect he still could not confirm would actually occur. Yet one thing was certain: two years from now, a great battle would erupt within the Celestial Profound Sect. In a conflict capable of toppling such a pillar of the world, Yang Xuan dared not guarantee the survival of himself or his family.

Although he had not spent much time with Yang Huaiyun, Yang Xuan understood him well enough. The man placed great value on the Maple Lands of Huangfeng Mountain; asking him to abandon his fief and flee was out of the question. This was only natural—people in this world regarded fiefs much as people in ancient times had cherished land. They believed that without a fief, one became destitute, a wanderer, a rootless cultivator. Furthermore, the rules of the Celestial Court strictly forbade lords from fleeing without a fight, making clan honor a matter of utmost importance. The idea of the entire family packing up and escaping was sheer fantasy.

Therefore, for Yang Xuan, this expedition to open up the overseas territories was imperative—he had to achieve something. Only by securing land overseas could he persuade Yang Huaiyun to lead a large-scale departure from Huangfeng Mountain, thereby avoiding the coming war. This was not confidence, but necessity. Only by maintaining confidence could he reassure Yang Huaiyun enough to secure further resources. If even he himself lacked conviction, how could Yang Huaiyun trust him with precious resources? That would be like throwing meat to a dog—gone for good.

After discussing the allocation of supplies and personnel with Yang Huaiyun in the study, Yang Xuan returned to his own courtyard. Once inside his room, he tidied his belongings and then turned his attention to the merit panel before him.

Host: Yang Xuan
Race: Human
Spiritual Roots: Fire (53/100), Metal (32/100), Earth (15/100)
Techniques: Flowing Flame Scarlet Fire Art
Spells: Fireball (Proficient), Blazing Blade (Uninitiated), Scarlet Fire Shield (Initiated), Featherlight Movement (Proficient), Golden Light Spell (Initiated)
Divine Abilities: Aura Sight (Initiated), Meteoric Fireburst (Uninitiated)
Merit: 3.3

Compared to when he had first transmigrated, little had changed on his panel, save for the addition of Aura Sight and his merit now standing at 3.3.

According to the information about innate merit coins, the merit required to improve each spell increased with every stage. To advance a spell from Initiated to Proficient required 1 merit point; from Proficient to Mastery, 3 points; and from Mastery to Perfection, 5 points.

Divine abilities were far more powerful and costlier to advance: Initiated to Proficient required 5 points, Proficient to Mastery 10, and Mastery to Perfection a daunting 15 points.

Now, Yang Xuan had only 3 merit points. By this rule, he could elevate one of his two Proficient spells—Fireball or Featherlight Movement—to Mastery, or he could raise both Scarlet Fire Shield and Golden Light Spell from Initiated to Proficient. As for divine abilities or his uninitiated Blazing Blade, he lacked the means to improve them at all.

His gaze shifted repeatedly among his spells. In the end, Yang Xuan chose to raise Fireball to Mastery.

This decision was not made lightly. He would inevitably face combat in the overseas territories, and in battle, one always aimed to strike down the enemy. Among his current spells, only Fireball and Golden Light were offensive; Featherlight Movement was an auxiliary flight spell, and Scarlet Fire Shield was defensive.

Featherlight Movement was appealing—if Yang Xuan aspired to become a master of survival and evasion, he would have prioritized it. Though the idea was tempting, he was not a lone wanderer; this time, he would be accompanied by his cultivator-soldiers. While he could fly away, they would be left behind, forced to flee on foot—a hopeless prospect. Abandoning his subordinates was something he could never do.

Thus, Featherlight Movement was set aside. That left Golden Light and Scarlet Fire Shield—one attack, one defense. They were good choices, but at best, he could only raise them to Proficient. Frankly, that would offer little help; he already had Proficient Fireball for offense, and another offensive spell would merely be superfluous. As for a Proficient Scarlet Fire Shield, it would be only marginally better than his current artifact, the Floating Light Pearl. If the pearl could not withstand an attack, odds were the shield would fare little better.

Therefore, rather than pursue broad but shallow advancement, Yang Xuan opted to specialize—first mastering a single spell before branching out. It was common knowledge that a jack-of-all-trades is mediocre unless they reach a certain threshold, whereas a specialist stands out early on.

For now, Yang Xuan would focus on specialization; when he had more merit points, he would balance his development.

With a silent thought, the three illusory copper coins atop his innate merit coin shattered. In that instant, Yang Xuan seemed to witness countless versions of himself practicing the Fireball spell. It felt like an eternity and also a mere moment, and when he came to his senses, his mind was filled with new insights into Fireball.

On the panel, the “Proficient” beside Fireball had changed to “Mastery.” With a wave of his hand, the air sizzled and crackled as a fireball the size of a washbasin appeared in his palm.

“The size hasn’t changed, but condensation is three breaths faster—down from seven to four. I wonder how much stronger it’s become?”

After analyzing the changes, Yang Xuan strode out of his room.

“Go!”

In the courtyard, he hurled the fireball at a large tree. With a deafening explosion, the entire tree toppled as flames raced across it, reducing it to ashes in an instant.

“What’s going on?” A streak of azure light descended from the sky, revealing Elder Li.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Xuan’s heart was alight with excitement—the spell’s power had increased by fifty percent. If he struck a savage bull with this now, even with its Ironclad Shield, it could not withstand the blow.

“Elder Li, I was struck by inspiration and made progress in my mastery of spells. I apologize for disturbing you!” Yang Xuan cupped his fists in respect.

Elder Li glanced at the smoldering remains of the tree, then at Yang Xuan, deep in thought. “If you wish to practice spells, go to the training grounds. Practicing here will only alarm the guards.”

“Yes, I understand. It won’t happen again!” With a nod, Elder Li offered no further admonishment, dispersed the guards who had gathered at the commotion, and soared away on a beam of light.